So I recently acquired a Quad Cortex along with a Powerstage 100S by Seymour Duncan. I am running that through a stereo rig to a Mesa 4x12 and a Peavy 6505 4x12. I typically stand by my Mesa whilst my bass player stands by the Peavy.
A few things that some people think are solutions, I have already tried.
I ensured there was no cab selection enabled.
Yes, I have tried to EQ.
The EQ on my power amp is disabled.
The problem is that the tones just sound really flat, very solid state Line 6 Spider type sound. I am not sure why this is happening; it just sounds like there are no balls or dynamics at all.
I have tried multiple heads with different combos of pedals, and nothing. I have even tried Archetype Gojira on it, and that still sounded really flat and not punchy at all.
I am really not sure why it sounds bad. I don’t know if it has to do with me not knowing how to dial in tones (which wouldn’t make sense as I can dial in a good tone). Or if it is just the rig or something I am missing.
Starting to really question just how “real” this unit sounds when running through cabs.
Thanks so much, looking forward to your guys’ thoughts!
Are the cabs 8 ohms? Part of the issue may be they’re actually only 50 watts at 8 ohms (the amps are rated at 4 ohms and the power is half that at 8 ohms). 50 watts solid state doesn’t give much headroom for depth with the low end.
Something else to consider is the distortion blocks will usually cut low end going into the amp sim. So you’re going to have less depth there as well. Perhaps try the 5150 Lead model, since there is a lot of gain, but also the depth and presence control are super helpful. I don’t love Archetype Gojira. It has a ton of gain, and it doesn’t really have much depth + the gain is so intense no matter what. To me it’s a very annoying sounding 5150 III model.
Also is there any clipping with the power amp? You’ll see it with the lights. Or clipping with the QC output?
Realistically if you want more “balls” or dynamics you may want to try a higher wattage power amp. Some people prefer the Powerstage 700, Quilter 200 series, or even tube power amps like- Fryette, etc. I was just talking to someone who had the Powerstage 170 and it didn’t have enough power for their cab, so they now have the 700 which has a lot more headroom especially for the low end response.
I feel the same way. That’s why I started looking into power amps and recently ended up buying the Tonex Cab. I’m not sure if this is the best solution, but I’ve decided to let go of the whole Quad Cortex and power amp combo.
Hi, I think you posted a week or so with details of the cabs and they had mismatched ohm ratings? QC can sound great with a good poweramp and cabs that are matched to each other and also to the optimum ohms rating for the poweramp.
If you use a tube power amp, or something like the fryette power station (which has a tube power amp), it sounds really good. Sometimes I run my QC through the effects loop of my Marshall, so I only use the power amp, and it works really good.
On the other hand, I have never liked the sound of the QC through solid state power amps, or FRFR cabs.
I think Powerstage 100 is OK if you play without a drummer, but not powerful enough in the band.
I’m satisfied with the combination of my QC and my Class D poweramp (450W at 4ohms), I volume up my QC to 70 or 75 using the 16 ohms input of the cab (Club or studio owners limits for some reasons).
Also using a tube poweramp might be a option for you.
Have you tried the Return Input of a tube amp?